Blog Tour: Finding Love in Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland

Can love really be found when you stop looking for it...?

As Samantha Wishaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after.

But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas - a lonely, grumpy elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow - her life is about to change forever.

Glad to have a distraction from family feuds and match-making, Sam vows to fulfill Thomas and his wife, Gwendoline's, dreams of restoring Hedgehog Hollow to its former glory, and to open a hedgehog rescue centre.

Throwing herself into the task at hand, little does Sam realise that the keys to love and happiness may also be found at Hedgehog Hollow, when she least expects it...

Escape to Hedgehog Hollow this summer with top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland for the perfect uplifting, feel-good read.

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/2xrmxAo

Review

Wow, that was quite the rollercoaster ride!

Sam is not having a good time. Bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin and her ex, she gets lost on the way to the reception and meets Thomas, a grumpy old widower. As her personal life spirals out of control, her friendship with Thomas gives her the courage to set proper boundaries in her relationships and live life on her own terms.


I loved Sam. Despite life (and her family) knocking her down again and again, she persisted in kindness and optimism. She was saved from doormat status by standing up to the people who hurt her in some immensely satisfying pieces of prose. I was rooting for her happiness from the get go, even as her troubles were only just getting started.


There's a generous cast of characters here - some who support Sam, some not so much. I enjoyed seeing them grow and change (as did their relationship with Sam) over the course of the book, and for those who wronged her and realised it, I appreciated the conversations (and the grovelling) that preceded her forgiveness. Family rifts always hurt, and forgiveness seems hollow when the pain isn't acknowledged on both sides, but this was not the case here. Things don't go back to how they were, and that's okay.


The romance here feels a little shoehorned in. The love interest (and I could spot him from a mile off, despite an inauspicious first meeting) doesn't make an appearance until about halfway through the book. They then make up for it by getting together after their fifth meeting (and their first positive one). I simply couldn't buy into their relationship due to the speed at which it progressed. It's not bad, it's just not my favourite part of the book. Perhaps if they'd met earlier or had more positive interactions before the tipping point it would've won me over.

If you're looking for a story about family, friendship, forgiveness, and hedgehogs, pick up this book and grab a tissue or two.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Jessica Redland is the author of nine novels, including The Secret to Happiness, which are all set around the fictional location of Whitsborough Bay. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough she writes uplifting women’s fiction which has garnered many devoted fans.
 
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